Glowing feedback for Bridgend County Borough Council’s Assia Domestic Abuse Service

Assia Domestic Abuse Service has received excellent feedback from residents across the county borough who have been supported by the council led service.

Operating at various locations throughout Bridgend County Borough, the Assia Service has received countless expressions of gratitude from victims for the help, support, guidance and regular contact offered by its staff.  One member of the Assia team has been described as ‘an angel from heaven’ and another service user has said the following about the team: “I have recently found myself on the receiving end of domestic violence. The Assia Service has provided me with outstanding support since the incident, which was a few weeks ago. I am so pleased to be a resident of Bridgend County Borough and able to access the wonderful multi agency coordination and support.”

Each member of the Assia team has received the same in-depth training and is fully qualified and accredited to operate as an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA).  In light of the varying needs of the victims, staff within the team all have dedicated roles - ranging from a Children’s IDVA to a Court IDVA, who works closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and supports victims during the judicial process.

More recently, Assia has introduced a Male Victim IDVA, making the service more accessible to men who are experiencing domestic abuse.  Statistics show how the number of male victims supported by the service has doubled between April 2021 to December 2023.  From April 2021 to March 2022, the team engaged with 10.2 percent of males, 12.3 percent between April 2022 to March 2023, and finally, 20.1 percent of males between April 2023 to December 2023.

There has also been an overall rise in the use of the service, which can be partly attributed to an increased awareness of domestic abuse, as well as the support services available within the county borough.  Between April 2021 and March 2022 there were 1,767 referrals, from April 2022 to March 2023 there were 2,891 referrals, and, during a shorter time frame, from just April 2023 to December 2023, there were already 1,948 referrals.

We are especially proud of the drive, tenacity, commitment, and above all, care, that the Assia team demonstrate so readily. These qualities are clearly reflected in the feedback that victims have provided about the service.

The Assia Service continues to move from strength to strength, from ensuring that each group within the community is represented, to establishing links with a variety of other organisations to further support its users. For example, even though Assia has a Polish translation service available, it has made good connections with Opoka (meaning ‘bedrock’ or ‘rock’ in Polish), a service dedicated to helping families from the Polish community to recover from domestic abuse.

A huge thank you to the team for all their work in supporting those experiencing domestic abuse – I can assure you, your efforts are recognised and applauded.

Councillor Neelo Farr, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Wellbeing

If you need to contact the Assia Domestic Abuse Service, you can call 01656 815919 from Monday to Friday between 8.30am to 5.00pm or email assia@bridgend.gov.uk.